The present invention relates to reciprocating piston engines and, in particular, to an engine of this nature in which a piston reciprocates in a cylinder within which fuel-air mixture zones having differences in fuel enrichment are established.
The cylinder, furthermore, comprises a head having channels for establishing directionally oriented gas flow into the cylinder.
It is known to subdivide an engine cylinder to establish chambers to which fuels for different enrichment of the air are supplied. In such engines, the richer mixture is ignited and the mixture of lesser richness is ignited from the richer mixture. Engines of this nature are stable under various load conditions, including constant load, but have a high rate of fuel consumption and are characterized in loss of power because of flow and thermal losses.
It is also known to construct engines in which the cylinder space is not subdivided but which includes devices for generating regions of differing fuel-air mixtures within the cylinder. Such engines have a better fuel economy than the ones referred to above when the engine is under less than full load and, as in connection with the first mentioned engine, have a low quantity of noxious emissions in the exhaust gases. This last mentioned type of engine is, however, unstable in operation.
The object of the present invention is the construction of a reciprocating piston engine in such a manner that mixing zones are established in the cylinder which show different ratios of fuel to air thereby obtaining the advantages of the type of engine in which a richer fuel-air mixture is ignited which, in turn, ignites a lower ratio fuel-air mixture, thus improving thermal efficiency and reducing emission of pollutants.
One object of the present invention is the provision of a reciprocating piston engine of the nature referred to which is stable in operation under all load conditions.
A further object of the present invention is the formation of at least one zone of ignitable fuel-air mixture in the region of the longitudinal axis of the cylinder capable of igniting a zone of basic mixture enclosed by a ring and/or cylinder of pure air.